Exercise · ZW-CONVERGENT-OF-A-CONTINUED-FRACTION-006 · ★★☆ Intermediate

Compute the convergent \( p_2/q_2 \) of the continued fraction \( [1;3,2,4] \).

Choose one option.

Show answer
  • D. \( 9/7 \)

Explanation

With \( p_0=1, p_1=4 \) and \( q_0=1, q_1=3 \), the recurrence gives \( p_2=2\cdot 4+1=9 \) and \( q_2=2\cdot 3+1=7 \), so the convergent is \( 9/7 \). The option \( 9/5 \) uses an incorrect denominator.

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Review the concept: Convergent of a continued fraction

A convergent of a continued fraction \( [a_0; a_1, a_2, \ldots] \) is the rational number \( p_n/q_n \) obtained by truncating the expansion at the term \( a_n \).

\[\frac{p_n}{q_n}=[a_0;a_1,\ldots,a_n],\quad p_n=a_np_{n-1}+p_{n-2},\\q_n=a_nq_{n-1}+q_{n-2}\]

More practice problems: convergent of a continued fraction

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